During the first Lab-session of 2020, agri-food professionals had the opportunity to give their input for the future development of ALIGN: the go-to portal if you want to take practical steps towards living wage and living income. What is most needed are best practices and a portfolio of strategies.
ALIGN collects all relevant and trusted data on living wage and living income in the agri-food sector in one place, and facilitates linkages to the relevant projects and expert organisations. It also provides a step-by-step guide for businesses to start with a living wage or living income project.
In this lab session, more than thirty agri-food professionals came together to discuss the most relevant and challenging activities to start a living wage or living income project in their supply chains. Essential elements are supply chain information, data quality, benchmark alignment, leverage, collaboration, local engagement, data verification and monitoring. These outcomes provide guidelines for the future development of ALIGN.
Isa Miralles, impact researcher at Fairfood explains the importance of the ALIGN portal: “Inclusive and truly sustainable food supply chains are possible if we bundle the knowledge that is already out there. It is a matter of working together – a mission isn’t something one should compete on. With ALIGN we strive to guide agri-food companies in the realisation of living wages and income, by offering a step-by-step guide and a clear overview of valuable research and potential partners.”
The beta version of ALIGN that is currently online has been developed by Hivos and Fairfood (through the Living Wage Lab), Rainforest Alliance and with the support of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, implemented by GIZ. The insights gathered during this Lab-session, together with other testing and co-creation exercises with agri-food companies and expert organisations, will serve as the basis for launching a full version later this year.
Masterclass and updates
New this year is the Living Wage Lab Masterclass, to help you kick-start a living wage or living income project in your supply chain. If you want professional assistance to develop a customised step-by-step plan, contact us at: nvanschouwenburg@hivos.org.
For updates on ALIGN, subscribe to the email list here.
If you are a company and want to discuss your living wage or living income journey in the upcoming Living Wage Lab session, you can send us an email to info@livingwagelab.org.
